Bantamweight, Farid Basharat (12-0):
Coming into the UFC Farid was known as the brother of Javid Basharat. Now that Javid is coming off a loss all the attention is on Farid. 3-0 in the UFC and wins over Da’Mon Blackshear and Taylor Lapilus.
People like to discredit the Basharat brothers because they like to play it safe but they have legit skill sets. Basharat has excellent kickboxing and a wide diverse attack. He’s stronger on the mat and to get it there he has a good single leg and trips along the cage. Jiu-jitsu is his best weapon even if that is just with control or winning important scrambles.
Bantamweight, Rinya Nakamura (9-0):
Nakamura is the winner of the first season of Road to UFC at bantamweight. Going into the show and the UFC Nakamura had some hype because he was a decorated wrestler with a lot of experience before transitioning to MMA. He won a bronze medal at the 2011 Cadet World Championship, a 2016 & 2017 Meiji Cup champion, and the 2017 U23 World Championship, and has a 37-10 freestyle record.
Nakamura’s been getting favorable matchups in the UFC against Carlos Vera and Fernie Garcia but didn’t finish either. He dominated both though and that’s good enough. For a wrestler his striking is coming along. He doesn’t have the grappling like he does the wrestling but has excellent control and floats on top. He hasn’t got that big finish outside the RTU final but it’s coming.
